Scholarship scams are a huge problem, and every year tens of thousands of otherwise really smart kids (and sometimes their really smart parents) get duped out of dollars. Every year, students send $50, $100, $200, $500, or more, to unknown organizations that claim to have access to all the scholarship money in the world or guarantee inside connections with philanthropic groups that are just aching to give away their money.

Don't be a sucker.

Check out the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's scholarship fraud site. You can also see who the defendants are in the FTC's most recent legal actions. The page lists each organization (and its owners) that the government has charged with scholarship fraud.